We left for Bhutan in the early morning. In the Singapore airport we went from security to security until the group of travelers became smaller and dressed in warmer and warmer clothes. At last we loaded onto Druk Airlines - the official airline of Bhutan and the only airline I know if that that does not regularly use credit card but prefers money transfer. After a brief stop in India, we landed in Paro Bhutan. The pilot warned us on the way in we would be close to the mountain sides but I was not expecting to see the details of a sheep grazing outside the 757 window with Everest towering in the distance. Stepping off the plane felt like stepping into another world - cool, crisp, bright and beautiful with the sent of fires and spice hanging in the air.
We made our way through the airport and were greeted by the staff from the hospital, helping us into the jeep. For the next hour we snaked up the mountain side from Paro to the airport less capital Thimphu where we would be living for the next six weeks. The drive brought back so many memories of Nepal for me and the love I have of the mountains and the people around the world who call them home. We stopped and gazed at prayer flags and drank spring water from Tibet and the marveled at the beauty of the countryside. It was warm, lovely and pure bliss.
Our apartment was set up by the hospital and different volunteer doctors stay there. Thimphu tends to be warm except November - January, so the solid concrete buildings have no central heating. The apartment was dark, cold, and when the staff left we all looked at each other with no idea where we were in town, no internet or cell connection and scrambling to put on more layers. It was a good reminder to me of how we have become so used to our phones and connectivity that even a brief break that was not planned can feel very disconcerting.
As we were reading through the paper manuals and seeing if we had saved anything to our phone we heard a knock at the door and smiling face of another volunteer - Robin welcomed us to Bhutan and asked if he could help. Robin took us under his wing, and showed us all around. Within hours we had gone from needing survival basics like heat, to having money, groceries, phone cards for internet, the national dress and new friends.
The next day was the 111th National Day in Bhutan and we had been invited to the celebration. It was smaller than previous years as the king was out visiting another part of the country, but we dressed in our Bhutanese best and headed down for a day of festivities. On our way down both Traverse and I were “re-dressed” by incredibly kind locals. Traverse was stopped by a gentleman who looked at his robe and said “no all wrong” and started to undress his robe and re-tie the whole thing. I had taken off my top to put another layer on and as I was trying to re-tie the Kira (skirt) 3 women came over and all together redressed me.
National day was about 4 hours of speeches, singing, performances, food, wine and was the perfect start to our stay in Bhutan. It ended with a big “conga line” style dance that was a mixture of laughter, left feet as we joined the fun.
Some how this is the first time this year I have really felt like we have traveled and left home, but by the end of our first 24 hours we were struck by the kindness, easy smile and beauty of Bhutan.
Tasting holy water from Tibet.
Prayer wheels hours after we landed as we get our bearings around town.
